Sunday, 23 February 2014

Preparing for Chartres

I have blogged a few times recently about the forthcoming Chartres Pilgrimage, and in particular suggested that people planning to go (especially those going for the first time) should think about getting out walking. It is a serious walk, and so a bit of practice (covering a decent distance) in advance is a good idea.However, today I want to focus on a different aspect: preparing to sing.For anyone who has been on the Chartres pilgrimage will agree that the singing is a great part of it. If you know Credo 3, you are off to a good start (and if you don't, that's the first thing you should learn).Latin, of course, comes into its own on a big international occasion like this, and singing the Credo at Mass is both a sign and source of unity.However, the majority of those on the pilgrimage are French, and English speakers may find it useful (and enjoyable) to familiarise themselves with some of the most popular French hymns.The first of these is Chez Nous (it starts at 30"):

If anyone is remotely interested, I'll translate this: leave a comment. (Though Chez nous is itself a difficult phrase to translate: Chez nous means something like 'in our homes', but with an intimate feel, so that hearths, or even hearts might capture the feeling more.)

The other great French hymn of the pilgrimage is Chartres sonne, Chartres t'appelle:

I should say that if you have no French, and no interest in learning any, you will still have a great time. But for those who do have a little French, it is worth putting in the effort to learn these two hymns.

The melodies are not perfect, but once you have sung them at Chartres they will always bring that Chartres feeling back to you...

No comments:

About Me

Secretive (eg my wife doesn't know I'm writing this blog)
Mendacious (eg my name isn't really Ben Trovato - that comes from an Italian saying: Se non è vero, è molto ben trovato - if it's not true, it's well found (or made up, as we'd say.))
Superficial (I have an interest in almost everything, and can pass myself off as knowing a lot more than I do...)
Self-deluding (my wife probably does know about this blog by now...)
For the record, my kids aren't really called Antonia, Bernadette, Charlie and Dominique either... It would seem unfair to write about them under their true names, so ABCD seemed a good idea. My wife's not Anna either, but again the AB pattern seemed pleasing.